Hogwarts: Before Cho
by Daxius X
Summary: Before Cho Chang, there was Her Father, Daxius Chang. Follow him in his adventures at Hogwarts as a Ravenclaw.
1. An Owl Named Errol

* * *

Hogwarts: Before Cho

* * *

The wind swept high. The moon sent its crescent beams peeking through the darkened clouds. The trees blew back and forth. There was no sound. A lurching figure ran out of the woods and collapsed in a heap before a cloaked creature. Many more of the demon spawn came. 'No,' mouthed the man. 'No...' A child ran forward from the woods. Another soon followed. The first child raised a weapon of some sort, a dagger of some sort, no, a rod of some sort. He opened his mouth and cried out some sort of outrage. 'Ex... ex peri... no, expect... part...expect a partro...' What was he saying? It was too dark to see. The demon spawn enclosed on him. His rod was emitting a faint feeble light. The other two were already unconscious. The fiends were pulling back their hoods. The silvery light was fading...

* * *

Daxius opened his eyes.  
  
"Huh?" he said to himself.  
  
Why had he risen so early? He peeked at the calendar through blurry eyes.  
  
"August 23rd," he mumbled.  
  
_Rrrstllllll.  
_  
What was that?  
  
He sat up, listening intently.  
  
There it was again. A faint rustling sound. He closed his dark brown eyes, listening for the source. The rustling subsided. It had come from the foot of his bed. Carefully, he peeked under his bed.  
  
_'Hooh!'  
_  
"Ahh!" Daxius cried, leaping about a foot in the air.  
  
_'Hooh?'_ It was a grey owl, looking very old and ruffled, holding a letter in its beak.  
  
"Jeez, what's an owl doing in my bedroom?"  
  
What was he dreaming about before? He struggled to remember when, to Daxius' surprise, the owl replied, saying,  
  
_'I am... Errol, and I have... a letter to deliver to you from... from...'_  
  
However, at this point, the grey owl keeled over and fainted. Daxius gaped.  
  
A talking owl?  
  
Was this a dream? Again?  
  
He pinched himself just to be sure.  
  
Ow! A letter lay in front of the owl. Daxius picked it up and saw that it proclaimed:  
  
**To Mr D. Chang  
  
7 Ilex Crescent  
  
Orphanage of the Shaolin Arts  
**  
"It's for me," said Daxius, rather surprised.  
  
He cracked open the seal (which had a shield showing a Lion, Snake, Raven and a Badger on it) and pulled out two pieces of parchment.  
  
**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY  
  
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)  
  
Dear Mr. Chang,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
  
Term begins on 1st September. We await your owl by no later than then.  
  
Yours Sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagall  
  
Deputy Headmistress  
  
July 31st, 1971  
**  
About twenty things went through Daxius' mind at that point:  
  
Mr. Chang? Since when did people call him that?  
  
Witchcraft and Wizardry?  
  
Mugwump? What the heck was that?  
  
But most importantly..  
  
1st September?!? That was 8 days away! If this was for real, he had to hurry!

* * *

"Master?" asked Daxius.  
  
"Yes, young Daxius?" answered an old man, dressed in Gold and Red robes.  
  
"I woke up and found an owl, and it..."  
  
But the old man cut him off, saying "So you have received your letter. Very well. I was beginning to worry," he said with a charming smile.  
  
Master stood up and turned around to face a trunk, which he opened. He extracted a small gold key and a carpet, which had the words 'Aurora Billion' framed upon it.  
  
"You must hurry, Daxius, else you'll miss the train. Ride to London and look for a place called the Leaky Cauldron. I have a friend there who will help you with the rest."  
  
"Uhh, you want me to ride to London on a carpet? I'm not Aladin last time I checked. Sir," he added as an afterthought.  
  
"It is easy, just sit atop and ride it in your mind. Focus on it moving. Here, try it. It won't bite."  
  
He laid the carpet on the ground.  
  
"Step beside it and say 'Up'." Daxius stepped up to it.  
  
"Up." said Daxius.  
  
The carpet lifted itself. Daxius checked to see if there were strings, but after finding none, he sat atop of it cautiously.  
  
"Bye, Master." said Daxius, waving awkwardly.  
  
"Fly," he thought, and fly he did.  
  
He rocketed upwards at 60 mph and, putting the key in his pocket, steered it towards London in the far distance.  
  
'Wow,' Daxius thought.  
  
This must be what it's like to be in heaven!  
  
It was truly a beautiful sight, clouds moving along gently, birds in flocks. The sun was rather hot, though, so he had to fly down under the clouds, his movements jerky at first, but soon becoming smooth. He amused himself by flying through the clouds. Soon he was at London. He landed in an isolated alley and rolled up the carpet. He walked about quite nervously as people kept giving him looks saying that they thought it was ludicrous to walk around with a carpet. What was the name of that place? Scanning the shops, he found the Leaky Cauldron and slipped inside.


	2. Goblins, Dragons & HighVoiced Professors

Hogwarts: Before Cho  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it. If I did, would I be writing a Disclaimer? Oh and if I forget any more disclaimers I apologize.

* * *

Daxius looked around. Who exactly was this person he was meant to meet?  
  
"Ah, you must be Daxius," said a squeaky voice right behind him.  
  
"Ahh!" cried a surprised Daxius, jumping about 2 feet straight up and attracting quite a lot of attention.  
  
He turned around. There was a tiny man in front of him, with greying hair looking about in his late 40's.  
  
"Allow me to introduce myself, young lad! I'm Professor Flitwick, Charms Master of Hogwarts! How is my old friend Sing doing?" said Flitwick.  
  
He said this all very fast in his high voice and Dax wondered if he had been breathing helium for the first half of his life.  
  
"Oh, Master is doing fine," said Daxius. "It says here on my letter that I'll be needing items?"  
  
"Oh yes, of course. Follow me then!" proclaimed Flitwick.  
  
Flitwick led Daxius to a wall. Then, tapping his wand against a brick, he stepped back. The bricks on the wall began rearranging and soon formed an archway. Daxius' jaw fell to the floor.  
  
"Come along then, we'll be getting on to Gringotts." cried Flitwick.  
  
They proceeded to a large building and slipped inside. Though there were jewels of unimaginable size, those weren't what Daxius was looking at. It was the goblins that were weighing the stones that he was gaping at.  
  
"Key please," said a goblin behind him.  
  
Apparently Flitwick had gone to find a banker while Daxius was staring. Mentally berating himself for not paying attention to what was happening around him, Daxius handed over a key.  
  
'Whoosh' went the trolley as they raced through tunnel after tunnel of dark caves lit only by firelight. Suddenly the vehicle stopped, and DualForth (their goblin escort) stepped to an iron door numbered 183. He fiddled in the key lock for a moment then opened the door.  
  
"Whoa...Whoa...WHOA..." awed Daxius, as he couldn't stop saying 'whoa'.  
  
There, before him, was a vault almost filled to the brim with gold, silver and bronze.  
  
"29 Knuts, the little bronze ones, to a Sickle, the silver ones and seventeen Sickles to a Galleon, the gold ones." explained Flitwick.  
  
Daxius looked at the mound. He reached out and took about 50 of each coin and put it on the floor. He then asked the goblin if he had a pouch or something to transport the coins.  
  
"5 Galleons for a Moke-skin pouch that you can fit a suitcase into," muttered DualForth, looking nervously down the tunnel.  
  
"There," said Daxius as he handed 5 of the gold coins to DualForth and proceeded cramming the coins inside.  
  
"What's the matter?" asked Daxius as the goblin kept glancing down the tunnel and wringing his long-fingered hands.  
  
"Well, there's a dragon down here that's rather bad-tempered," said DualForth nervously while he closed the vault. "Something about territory or some-other..."  
  
"A dragon?!" cried Daxius, although this seemed to alert the dragon of their presence, as a loud screeching was soon heard.  
  
"Yes, a dragon," sighed DualForth as they scrambled back into the trolley and proceeded back to Diagon Alley.  
  
"Well, that was a close one," laughed Flitwick.  
  
"Yeah, it was," said a trembling Daxius.  
  
"Well, might as well get a wand for you first," said Flitwick.  
  
They stopped in front of a grubby shop and went in.


	3. A wand, some books & a Dragonskin cloak

Chapter 3

* * *

As Daxius stepped in, he noticed that it was quite a dusty place, and the only decorations to be a vase in the corner. Daxius then saw a bell on the counter, and, moving to ring it, was suddenly greeted by an old man with silvery-grey eyes. Something about him made you think he knew all your secrets and was prosecuting you.  
  
"Hello, Daxius.... old Sing sent word that you would be arriving.... I remember him well.... came for his wand when I was merely a boy.... wand of bamboo, phoenix core, 12 inches, quite flexible...." murmured the old man.  
  
"Uh...." said Daxius, not quite sure how to reply.  
  
"Ollivanders, Mr. Ollivanders, 185th generation of fine wand-makers since 382 BC. What is your wand hand? Right-hand? Then try this wand, Baltic and Unicorn hair, 8 inches, whippy." said Ollivanders.  
  
Daxius grabbed the wand and moved to wave it when Ollivanders snatched it from his hand.  
  
"Not quite it, eh? Here, Ash and Phoenix feather, 10 ½ inches, springy."  
  
Once again, it was snatched away quite suddenly. They went on like this for about a quarter of an hour, until....  
  
"Here, Willow and Dragon heartstring, 9 inches, strong and flexible."  
  
Looking as though he highly doubted that this was the right wand, Ollivanders handed Daxius the willow wand. As Daxius swung the wand high, he brought it swishing down and a tornado of Red and White sparks came flying down.  
  
"Well, well, well," said Ollivanders. "I must congratulate you, Mr. Chang, as you have just bought yourself one of our most potent wands. That will be seven galleons, please."  
  
Taking this as a compliment, Daxius paid for the wand and stepped out with Flitwick at his side.  
  
"Well, that's the wand bought," announced Flitwick.  
  
"It says here on my parchment that I'll be needing ink supplies and books," said Daxius.  
  
"Well, On to Flourish and Blotts!" declared Flitwick.  
  
They headed to a store with a large blue banner and stepped inside. They went to the stationary section and Daxius chose 10 bottles of black ink, and a bottle of special ink that allowed you to write a letter in red, then the next in yellow, then blue, purple, light green and orange last. They took out 10 scrolls of basic parchment and a falcon feather quill to write with. Then they went to the bookshelves and selected Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, 49th edition, A History of Magic, Standard Book of Spells, grade 1, 1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi, Magical theory, A Beginners guide to Transfiguration, Magical Drafts and Potions, and The Dark Forces; A Guide to self-protection. Daxius flipped through 'A standard book of spells' and tried out a spell.  
  
"Avis," intoned Daxius, and, with a bang that sent many customers cowering, out shot a Raven and it flew out the window, cawing and screeching.  
  
"Oh, Bravo Daxius, your first spell!" squeaked Flitwick.  
  
Daxius looked at his wand.  
  
"Can I buy another book for a read?" he asked Flitwick.  
  
"Of course!" cried a delighted Flitwick. "You're destined to be in RavenClaw, I'll say!"  
  
Daxius went to choose another book. One of them caught his eye.  
  
"1000 Basic Charms and Hexes," he read aloud.  
  
He then went to pay for his books and went out of the shop, Flitwick not far behind.  
  
"To Madam Malkins, then," declared Flitwick.  
  
They moved to a clothes shop with a cloak on display. The sign next to it read "Dragonskin cloaks for prize! Ask inside for Details!"  
  
When they went inside, they asked the lady about the cloak.  
  
"Oh, you just have to catch all the pixies in the amount of time given in the egg-timer. Gildy over there has been trying all week." She gestured over to a blonde child of about 9. "The entry fee is a Galleon, though."  
  
Daxius gave her the money and then was led into a small backroom. the woman tapped a cage, aying 'Alohomora' and the lock sprang open. She quickly closed the door and said in a muffled voice "You have 5 minutes!"

Daxius turned. Facing him were 20 electric-blue impy-looking things, baring their fangs and talking in their high, chittering voices. One of them boldly flew up to Daxius and pulled on his hair.

"Ow!" he cried. He trid to curse them but they were too quick. He remembered back to the chapter in '1000 Basic Carms and Hexes' titled Immobilising Spells. He shouted them all in quick succession. "Immobulus!" "Petrificus Totalus!" "Wingify Mortis!" "Skelegros Wibbly!"

The pixies were hit by the widespreading spells. Daxius sighed in relief. He scooped up the pixies, put them back in their cage and locked it up. He then opened the door to present the cage of pixies to Madan Malkin.

"Congratulations!" she cried. "I'll go get your prize right now!" 

While he was waiting the blonde child staggered out of the other backroom, covered in pixies.

"Peskipiksi Pesternomi!!!" he cried valiantly. The Pixies took no notice and merely goaded him, yelling 'Locky! Locky!' in their high squeaks.

"You're evil! All of you! Eeeeevillll!!!" he sobbed. Then the egg-timer ran out and the pixies flew back into their cage as they had, apparently, been trained to do. The boy ran out of the shop crying. Daxius laughed to himself. The pixies had been rather gentle with the boy, just tweaking his ears and poking him in the nose.

Madam Malkin came back with a shiny, brand-new Dragonskin cloak.  
  
"I'll also be needing 3 plain robes and a hat, gloves and a winter cloak." murmured Daxius, marvelling at his new cloak.  
  
Telling her of the blonde boys' encounter as he was measured for robe size caused Madam Malkin to laugh heartily.

"That child is simply spoilt!" she declared affectionately.

Daxius then tried on a hat and paid the lady 4 Galleons and 22 Sickles.  
  
"I think we'll go on to the Apothecary now." said Flitwick. 


	4. Hybrids and Hyjinx

Hogwarts: Before Cho  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned it I wouldn't be writing this would I?

* * *

Chapter 4: The Hybrid and the Hyjinx  
  
As the two walked down to the Apothecary, Flitwick stopped.  
  
"Can it be? My old friend, Winston! How are you doing? Is business going well?" said an eager Flitwick.  
  
"Good, good, Carpet and Broom sales up the roof!" said and elderly man, his beard flowing to waist length.  
  
As Flitwick and Winston chattered, Daxius wandered off, bored with the conversation.  
  
"Magical Menagerie," read Daxius.  
  
He was in front of a large shop bustling with hissing and howling animals. Screeching, barking and a low purring could be heard. Daxius stepped inside, and saw a man pointing his wand at the cashier.  
  
"Hand over the Re'em blood, NOW!"  
  
As the cashier scrambled into the cupboards, Daxius thought he should take this into his own hands. He walked over to the man and tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Wha?" cried the man before Daxius drew back his fist and hit him square in the face.  
  
He went down like a sack of concrete.  
  
"Oh, thank you! Indeed, everyone wants this Re'em blood, it's a wonder I even stock it. Who are you? Why didn't you use your wand?" asked the cashier quizzically as he tied the man up and confiscated his wand.  
  
"I'm Daxius Chang, pleased to meet you, sir. And I don't really know many spells, just this bird thing." Daxius demonstrated the Avis spell.  
  
"Well I never.." said the cashier in wonder. "To learn a conjuring spell before a knockback jinx? Unheard of!"  
  
Daxius stood there in silence, unsure of how to answer.  
  
"Well, where are my manners? You'd be wanting an animal then?" said the cashier.  
  
"Uh, sure..." said Daxius. He hadn't really thought of buying anything, but it wouldn't hurt to look around.  
  
Daxius peered around. My, there were a lot of animals. Owls, salamanders, kittens and bats. Dogs with forked tails, toads and eagles, pieces of bark with legs and in the corner an ape-like creature, with long silk white hair and black, doleful eyes. Daxius spotted a strange owl, with a slightly falcon like head, the beak rather prominent.  
  
"How much is that?" asked Daxius, gesturing to the bird.  
  
"Oh, that's 62 Galleons, a rare hybrid of Peregrine Falcon and Screech owl." said the cashier, but then he noticed Daxius' face fall. "But for you, since you saved my precious Re'em blood, 8 galleons."  
  
Daxius' face lit up. "Thank you, sir!" he said, and he then handed him the money.  
  
"I think I'll name him Screech, as his being half screech owl," said Daxius happily, as he reached out for the bird. When he touched him, though..  
  
_'People shrieking, men shouting, children sobbing. What was going on? What was happening? Daxius then turned to where all the people were pointing and a horrible image met his eyes... The moon, 20 times bigger, undoubtedly about to crash with the Earth, the unearthly sound finally reaching him, fire spreading across its surface. Clouds simply incinerated, an immense heat covering the area... And people shrieking...'  
_  
"What?" thought Daxius, but the image was fading fast. Daxius tried to hold onto it, but it was like waking from a dream that you can't remember. Daxius shook his head, trying to make sense of why he was trying to make sense of things. But soon, all was forgotten. Daxius left the shop with Screech in hand, and walked back to Flitwick.

* * *

A/N: Yes, It's a premonition. Oh and I need some people to fill in the name list of when Daxius goes to Hogwarts so review with your preferred name and house. If I can't fit you in this year I'll put you in the next year. So, lets all follow the arrow again, shall we?


	5. Pondera Inverto!

Hogwarts: Before Cho  
  
Disclaimer: I only own the Aurora billion carpet brand, and this plot line.

* * *

A/N: Another reminder; if you wish to be sorted in this story then submit your preferred name and house either by review or e-mail. Also if you'd like to submit an idea, review it or e-mail it.  
  
Chapter 5: Pondera Inverto!  
  
"My, my Daxius, what a fine Owl!" praised Flitwick, gazing at Screech. "He must have cost you a pretty penny."  
  
"Actually, I helped that man in the Magical Menagerie and he gave him to me far cheaper." replied Daxius.  
  
"Well, where are my manners, this is my old friend Winston. He owns the Quality Quidditch Supplies store." introduced Flitwick.  
  
"I sell carpets, broomsticks, Quidditch gear and kits, books, and holsters for your wand," said the burly man, numbering them off on his fingers.  
  
"Let's step inside, shall we?" motioned Flitwick.  
  
Inside was a large area, with people bustling about. On the walls were brooms on display, carpets clung to the walls, and books were on shelves.  
  
Daxius saw a section called 'Holsters' in which some children of his age were cluttering about, holding up things for their mothers to see. Daxius himself spotted a holster which strapped to the left forearm, much like Quidditch armour. It was hardened black leather on the out side, a soft white leather lining the inside. Daxius tested it and found it to be a perfect fit. He purchased it and with a quick thanks to the cashier walked outside with Flitwick.  
  
"Yes, we only need a potions kit and were done." said Flitwick.  
  
The Apothecary was just ahead and Daxius was amazed at what was inside. Herbs of unknown origin lined the shelves, barrels of unidentified substances sat on the floor and crushed animal bones in jars filled up the shelves.  
  
"A 1st year Potions kit, please." said Flitwick to the man behind the counter.  
  
Daxius paid the man 26 Sickles and was pleased to leave. The place had stunk of rotten eggs.  
  
They were walking back to the Leaky Cauldron, Daxius reading his 1000 Basic Charms and Hexes when a familiar face confronted them, bloodied face and murderous look on his face. It was the thief Daxius had met in the Magical Menagerie. At the sight of his expression Flitwick became absolutely terrified and fainted, and Daxius was thinking of what he could possibly do. Thinking quickly, Daxius pulled out his wand from its holster and quickly yelled out:  
  
"Pondera Inverto!"  
  
And, once again, he fell over like a bag of cement.  
  
A/N: I'm reminding everyone again, please submit your preferred name and house if you wish to be in this fic! You can even be in an older year if you want!


	6. The Daggers of Rowena

Hogwarts: Before Cho  
  
Disclaimer: Are these even necessary? Surely you people know I don't own it...

* * *

Chapter 6: The Daggers of Rowena  
  
"Crime: Attempted Robbery and violent intent on young wizard. Age: 21. Name: Mundungus Fletcher. Well, you and your Dark buddies are going straight to court. I expect you'll be fined a huge amount there."  
  
Daxius had been expecting a police station. He had expected a jail sentence. He had not expected a court official and a fine to be paid.  
  
"Professor, why don't they send him to jail?" asked Daxius.  
  
"Why would they send him to Azkaban for a small thing like robbery? I mean, if it had been something like a precious relic yes, but rare oxen blood? Surely not!" replied Flitwick incredulously.  
  
"Well, in my world we'd send them to prison. Is this Azkaban much worse?"  
  
"My boy, Azkaban is the worst place on the face of the planet! Dementors swarm the area.. Soul sucking creatures Daxius." added Flitwick at the confused look on Daxius' face.  
  
"Oh." whispered Daxius.  
  
"Well, the day's not over yet, let us go to seek some artefacts, I could use some for my sixth year class..." informed Flitwick.  
  
They turned at the end of Diagon alley, past a sign proclaiming Knockturn alley, and into a shop called 'Myths of Parchment'. Flitwick browsed in a corner and Daxius wandered to the Unknown weapons section.  
  
'Lance – 16 Galleons – Use Unknown'  
  
'Crossbow – 16 Galleons - Serpent engraved on Arrowheads'  
  
'Staff – 16 Galleons – Origin; Asia'  
  
'Axe – 16 Galleons – Estimated Weight: ½ tonne'  
  
'Sword – Sold – Restricted Information'  
  
'Shield – 16 Galleons - Spiral bladed'  
  
One caught Daxius' eye. A pair of Daggers laid there, a sapphire fused into each of the handle. They were sheathed in a belt which was warm to the touch, and Daxius unsheathed the blades, which were as sharp as if they were newly forged. Daxius twirled the daggers in his hands, testing the weight and range of them. Daxius enjoyed weapons practice. It helped ones balance, logic, endurance, strength, all with simple rounds of stances. Daxius had not needed to practice all the ways of Shaolin, but had asked his master specifically for the ability to protect the orphanage should anyone wish to harm it. The orphanage as poor, and Daxius had not wanted any damage to come to it. He had been trained in many weapons areas, and knew the twelve animal stances back to front. He knew the drunken position and was particularly skilled in the monkey stance, which was mainly consisting of distracting and deceiving, then striking from out of nowhere. The daggers would provide much of a challenge to him, and he felt that he would be able to keep up his exercises with them alone. Daxius headed to the counter and purchased the daggers, quickly sheathing them back into their casings.  
  
"Well, did you find anything interesting Daxius?" said Flitwick, whilst putting a scroll with the words 'animal dialects' written on it.  
  
"I found some daggers, sir, am I allowed to keep them?" inquired Daxius hopefully, flicking his hand and bringing a dagger in front of Flitwick face.  
  
"Well, we don't want any accidents. 'Neco adversus'," murmured Flitwick.  
  
Happily Daxius put back the blades, and, picking up Screech, walked out the door. Twirling the blades, he spun one into the air. However, to his utter shock, a flutter of ebony wings blocked his sight. When his vision finally cleared he couldn't see his beloved daggers, he scanned the air and found a glinting- an owl had curled it's claws around them, gliding out of sight.  
  
"Hey, give those back!" Daxius gasped, his eyes widening. Without a second thought, he took off on his Aurora Billion after the black wings and the glinting of his daggers.  
  
Thanx Aini for suggesting that wonderful cliffhanger!


	7. Luck

Disclaimer; Ok, one, I think you all know I don't own it, and two, I think even if I didn't put a disclaimer, the wonderful Joanne Rowling wouldn't sue me anyway, because she's plenty rich, plenty powerful and plenty nice, apparently.  
  
A/N; Please I need more people In Hogwarts, please just leave a name, a year, a house, a gender (plenty of unisex names out there) and a description if you want it.

* * *

Last time...  
  
Twirling the blades, he spun one into the air. However, to his utter shock, a flutter of ebony wings blocked his sight. When his vision finally cleared he couldn't see his beloved daggers, he scanned the air and found a glinting, - an owl had curled its claws around them, gliding out of sight.  
  
"Hey, give those back!" Daxius gasped, his eyes widening. Without a second thought, he took off on his Aurora Billion after the black wings and the glinting of his daggers.  
  
Rocketing into the sky, Daxius released Screech from his cage, and fastened it to a strap on the carpet. Screech gave a harsh shriek and flapped his wings once. Gaining altitude, Daxius and Screech continued their pursuit.  
  
_"Hooh! What is the matter?"_ asked Screech.  
  
_"That Owl, it took my Daggers! We have to get them back!"_ replied Daxius without thought. _"Can you catch up with it?"_  
  
_"Hooh!"_ laughed Screech. _"Can I catch it? I've practically caught it!"  
_  
With that, Screech flapped his wings once more, turning his wings upward. When he was about 10 feet higher, he folded in his wings and dived down in a corkscrew. Plummeting down, the owl opened his wings and used the momentum to soar up, turned upside-down and neatly snatched the dagger hilt from the ebony owl.  
  
Daxius gave a whooping cheer and flew forward with a burst of speed.  
  
The ebony owl circled back with a crooning wail and perched itself onto Daxius' now slowing carpet, almost sadly.  
  
_"Ok, why'd you do it?"_ said Daxius with a 'for shame' sigh.  
  
_"We need your-hooh help."_ replied the owl.  
  
Taken aback by this surprising answer, Daxius asked _"With what?"  
_  
_"There is a friend-hooh of ours, she's horribly hurt. We-hooh can't take her-hooh to a witch nurse for we-hooh can't talk Human. A delivery Owl spoke of a wizard that could-hooh speak our tongue. Please help-hooh?"_  
  
Daxius, listening carefully, replied _"Of course."_  
  
_"Then follow me,"_ said the ebony owl, taking off.  
  
Daxius and Screech flew after, but Daxius was thinking.  
  
_'This Animal-talking thing is just me? I thought that everyone could do it, or the animals could speak!'  
_  
Before he could give it anymore thought, the owl dived down suddenly into a clearing in the woods. Daxius sped past the clearing, turned the carpet around, and dived down too.  
  
A strange collection of animals was there. The owl was accompanied by doves, blackbirds and other birds. There was a small kitten lying on the grass, a cluster of Black cats waiting nearby.  
  
_"So what's the matter with her?"_ asked the concerned wizard.  
  
The kitten gave a few short mewling cries. Daxius understood none of it.  
  
_"Her tail hurts awfully."_ translated Screech. He twitched his white- fletched feathers and continued. _"It was caught under a falling tree. The other cats were able to move the log, but the tail was crushed."  
_  
Daxius saw what he needed to do. He picked up the kitten slowly, and called his carpet. Once atop it, Daxius flew at a slow pace back to Diagon Alley.

* * *

_"One thing I don't understand, Screech, is how you could understand the kitten but I couldn't."  
_  
Daxius was conversing with Screech in a waiting room, while the kitten was being examined. The first nurse said that the wound didn't looked too serious and was most likely non-fatal. This relieved Daxius a lot.  
  
_"Magical creatures can speak to magical creatures, non-magical with non- magical. Birds to birds, and-hooh Serpents to serpents. I am two of those, magically bred and a bird. Therefore I can speak two of the tongues."  
_  
_"So how can I speak Bird?"_ asked Daxius with some confusion. Last time he checked he didn't have wings.  
  
_"I have heard tales of humans that spoke with Birds and Bird-like creatures. There was a wizard that spoke to winged horses, a witch with Ravens. Of course, they could speak to all birds, but they were especially noted for their affinity with those ones."  
_  
_"But if a winged horse is a bird-like creature..."_  
  
_"Wings with feathers are bird traits. The Griffin and Hippogriff are almost certainly Bird-like, their heads are so distinguished. Golden Griffins, otherwise known to you as Winged Lions, and Pegasus', or winged Horses, are one quarter Griffin/Hippogriff and three quarters Lion/Horse. This gives them great advantage, as they can speak the tongue of Birds, Magic and Non- Magic. Of course, they can hide their wings easily, so you won't know if you're talking to a normal Lion or a winged one .It's best to keep your distance anyway. "  
_  
Daxius was intrigued. This was very interesting to know and he started to daydream flying on a Pegasus' back.  
  
_"Of course there are also the bird/serpent creatures. Winged snakes, or Occamys, can speak bird, serpent and Magic. Basilisks can understand bird, but lack the ability to speak it, as the transformation from chicken egg to serpent destroys that ability. They can Speak Magic, and they can also understand non-magic, since they were hatched from a non-magic hen and toad. Non-magic creatures could talk to each other, but are hampered by the fact that they have no intelligence. A Frog could speak to a mouse, but they never learn the Non-magic language. It comes naturally to us Magic's, and they'd understand Non-magic, but they can't comprehend it."  
_  
Daxius nodded his head slowly. Then something occurred to him.  
  
_"How is that kitten magic?"  
_  
_"Its an Elven cat. It can sense danger, it has an exceptional sense of sight and hearing, and it's fiercely territorial."  
_  
Daxius nodded again, and opened his mouth to ask another question when the nurse came back.  
  
"Your kitten is fine. Unfortunately..." started the nurse.  
  
"What?" said Daxius, puzzled.  
  
"We had to remove its tail, it was crippled too badly, not to mention the muscle damage. It's too young to have Skele-Gro administered on it."  
  
"Poor thing..." murmured Daxius.  
  
They walked, or in Screech's case, flew, through a side corridor and into a room. The kitten was stumbling along around the ground, walking awkwardly. It looked up at Daxius and seemed to smile, bounding into his arms.  
  
Daxius laughed and said "I think she's gonna be just fine."  
  
Daxius walked down Diagon alley, searching for the entrance to Knockturn alley so he could find Flitwick. The black Kitten still bounded at his side.  
  
_"Ask her if she'd like to stay with me,"_ said Daxius to Screech.  
  
After a few strange sounds between the two animals, Screech returned with an answer.  
  
_"She says yes."_  
  
Daxius felt his heart rise a bit.  
  
'Maybe I'll name her Luck.' He thought.  
  
Then He found Flitwick pacing at the door of Myths of Parchment. When Flitwick looked up he saw Daxius and cried out with a smile.  
  
"Where have you been?" he practically yelled.  
  
"Oh, it's a long story. Lets talk about it over a drink, shall we?" replied Daxius in his most casual voice.  
  
The two went off down the street towards a place named the Leaky Cauldron, an owl and an Elven Kitten following shortly after.

* * *

A reminder to all, please I need more people In Hogwarts, please just leave a name, a year, a house, a gender (plenty of unisex names out there) and a description if you want it.  
  
A thank you to Mornings Light for giving me feedback on my ideas for this story, heres her user profile; profile.php?userid=275445


	8. All Aboard the Hogwarts Express!

Disclaimer; Uhh, hello? This is a story on _fanfiction.net_ so I think it would be obvious that no-one here owns it. Duh!  
  
A/N: Hello Boys and Girls, Ladies and Gentlemen, Males and Females, Y Chromosomes and X Chromosomes, Guys and Dolls, Testosterones and Estrogens... I'll shut up now. On with the Story!

* * *

Chapter 8; A Toast to the Host who can Boast the Most Roast!  
  
A.K.A. 'The Real Chapter Name is 'All Aboard The Hogwarts Express'. Hey, wasn't that an actual chapter name in the books? Cos' it sounds something like...'  
  
Fist comes out and shuts the Author Up.

* * *

"My, my Daxius, you seem to have a new pet everytime you run off! I guess you'd do well in Care of Magical Creatures, hmm? Although that's not in a couple of years..."  
  
Daxius thoughtfully took a sip of Butterbrew, a warm drink that had healing properties. He had been unable to convince the young bartender to let him have a sip of the slightly alcoholic Butterbeer, the more popular of the Butter Brothers Inc. Company.  
  
"It's restricted to third years and above only," replied the bartender gently, but when Daxius protested, he shook his head firmly.  
  
"About as Alcoholic as a sugar rush," muttered Daxius when he sat back with his reasonably more childish looking Butterbrew. It wasn't that bad, though. Whereas the glass chilled his fingers, the drink was warm and seemed to flow through every inch of him, without the feeling of slight drowsiness.  
  
Daxius and Flitwick discussed the entire trial between the talking animals. Flitwick gasped and made exclamations every now and then, taking out his small notebook and writing in it with a murky coloured quill.  
  
"Right," said Flitwick after Daxius finished his tale. "This is an amazing discovery! Not many wizards have this trait you see. We Professors at Hogwarts know only the rudimentary laws of Beast-Speech. Being-languages are easy enough, but very few can talk to Beasts, and thus we usually don't bother to mention it, seeing as how many students would start talking to every animal they see and not concentrate on their studies. I shall give this information to the headmaster, he is good friends with Newton Scamander. Well, look at the time, Daxius you should be going off to bed now!"  
  
The next week was a rather joyful experience for Daxius. Flitwick had gone on to Hogwarts to organize his yearly subjects, bidding farewell to Daxius, Screech and Luck. Therefore Daxius had been able to spend the days quietly wandering around Diagon Alley, where a few students of around his age were doing some late school supply shopping. By Night he practiced wand spells, managing to turn a couple of pieces of paper into sparrows by twirling his wand and intoning 'Avifors' lightly.  
  
On the third day Daxius happened to walk into Eeylops Owl Emporium, absent- mindedly thinking of buying some owl-treats for Screech. He saw a red- headed boy about of about fourteen counting out bronze coins slowly from a patched bag. His girlfriend (who happened also to be red-headed) next to him was looking at the price tags on the owl cages, seeming content looking at the lower-priced animals.  
  
_'Hello, friend,'_ said a voice to Daxius' right. Daxius turned and his jaw dropped.  
  
_'Errol?!'_ he cried incredulously. _'What are YOU doing here?'  
_  
_'Time to-hooh retire, look for nice master to serve and live-nest with.'_ replied Errol, looking more ruffled than ever. _'Will miss Hogwarts though...'  
_  
About this time the redheaded boy spotted Errol and gave a sigh of joy.  
  
'12 Knuts! That's just enough!' he cried.  
  
He hoisted up the birdcage and brought it over to the counter to purchase. Daxius gave a farewell to Errol as he walked out, thinking it wouldn't be the last he saw of him.  
  
The night before term started Daxius checked he had packed everything. His books were stacked neatly in his trunk, his carpet folded up, his wand polished and his spare clothes arranged neatly. He remembered that he had to pack up Screech and Luck's food when the moon came out from behind a cloud. Daxius looked up at it and felt wave of slight nausea run through him. The feeling soon passed however, and Daxius shook his head and packed away the last few things, walking over to the bed and settling in, falling asleep almost instantly.  
  
The next morning was a nice and peaceful one, Daxius waking up early and slowly taking his trunk and cages downstairs. He let Screech and Luck roam free, warning them not to wander too far and to meet him by 8.30.Transfiguring his trunk smaller by intoning 'Deflatio' and bewitching it feather-light with 'Buustus' he carried on his back a small backpack looking bag towards Kings Cross Station. Screech and Luck were playing a tumbling game of hide-and-seek beside him and many passers-by stopped to stare, thinking the owl was trying to eat the poor kitten. Daxius however, had other things on his mind. Flitwick had given him specific instructions to walk into the wall between platforms 9 and 10, and this puzzled Daxius as he had never heard of a train that you needed a concussion to board.  
  
After watching the platform barrier with some scrutiny Daxius finally decided that it must be a trick wall of some kind. Calling screech to his arm and Luck to his shoulder he walked determinedly into the barrier. When he passed through he was amazed to see a completely different train station at hand. The time was 10.45 as Daxius checked his watch and he boarded the school train (colourfully named the 'Hogwart's Express') and found an empty train compartment towards the end of the train.

* * *

Next Chapter, be sure to expect; 

The fun-filled train ride!

Bertie Botts horror!

New Friends and Old characters!

The Sorting!  
  
A/N; Last Chance people! Hurry and submit your names if you wanna be mentioned in this fic! Just either email or review your name, house, year, gender and optionally a description.


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